Tai chi can significantly improve cognitive function and fall risk in older adults with mild cognitive impairment (MCI). Sixty-six adults aged 60 and older with amnestic mild cognitive impairment (a-MCI) were divided into a tai chi group and a control group by Thai investigators. Participants in the tai chi group attended three tai chi classes per week for three weeks, and then practiced at home with a video, three times per week for 12 weeks. Participants in the control group received educational material related to cognitive impairment and fall prevention. At the end of the trial, performance on cognitive tests was significantly better for the tai chi group than the control group. The tai chi group also had significantly better t fall risk scores, along with significant improvements in the specific components of knee extension strength, reaction time, postural sway and lower limb proprioception.
Effects of Tai Chi on Cognition and Fall Risk in Older Adults with Mild Cognitive Impairment: A Randomized Controlled Trial. J Am Geriatr Soc. 2016 Nov 22. [Epub ahead of print].

Tai chi may help slow down age-related decline in muscle strength, according to Chinese investigators. A cross-sectional study was conducted in 205 long-term tai chi practitioners aged 60-89 and 205 age-matched controls. The strength of iliopsoas, quadriceps femoris, tibialis anterior and hamstrings in the tai chi group was higher than in the non-tai chi group. Muscle strength in the tai chi group was not found to not differ significantly between three age sub-groups (60-69, 70-79 and 80-89 years), suggesting that it can prevent the normal progressive decline in muscle strength associated with ageing. Muscle strength was correlated positively with number of years of tai chi practice.
Effect of Tai Chi on muscle strength of the lower extremities in the elderly. Chin J Integr Med. 2016 Nov;22(11):861-866

American public health researchers have found an evidence-based tai chi programme to be a cost-effective intervention for preventing falls in seniors. They evaluated the Tai Ji Quan: Moving for Better Balance (TJQMBB) programme at 36 senior centres. Trained TJQMBB instructors delivered the programme to community-dwelling older adults for 48 weeks, with a six-month post-intervention follow-up. TJQMBB was adopted by 89 per cent of the senior centres approached and reached 90 per cent of the target population. The program resulted in a 49 per cent reduction in the total number of falls and improved seniors’ physical performance. Participation was well maintained after the programme’s completion. The average cost-effectiveness ratio for the 48-week program implementation was $916 per fall prevented for single falls and $676 per fall prevented for multiple falls.

Tai chi qigong (TCQ) may be useful for improving sleep quality in older adults with cognitive impairment. Hong Kong clinicians randomised 52 older adults with cognitive impairment who complained of sleep disturbance to either a TCQ group or a control group. The intervention group received TCQ training consisting of two 60-minute sessions each week for two months. Compared with the control group, the TCQ participants experienced improvements in global sleep quality, in particular in sleep duration (increased by 48 minutes) and habitual sleep efficiency (increased by 9.1 per cent). TCQ participants also reported better mental health-related quality of life than the control group.
Tai chi qigong as a means to improve night-time sleep quality among older adults with cognitive impairment: a pilot randomized controlled trial. Clin Interv Aging. 2016 Sep 16;11:1277-1286.

Tai chi can improve factors associated with cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk in women, according to investigators based in the USA. In a randomised trial, 63 women aged 35 to 50 years, who were at increased risk for CVD, were assigned either to eight weekly group tai chi classes, or to a waitlist control. Tai chi was shown to decrease fatigue, and increase mindfulness and self-compassion. In addition, it was observed that tai chi may help down-regulate pro-inflammatory cytokines associated with underlying CVD risk (including interferon gamma, granulocyte colony stimulating factor, tumor necrosis factor interleukin 8 and interleukin 4).
The Effects of Tai Chi on Cardiovascular Risk in Women. Am J Health Promot. 2016 Nov;30(8):613-622.

Tai chi may be an effective non-pharmaceutical means of improving anxiety and poor sleep quality in young adults, according to a pilot study from America. Seventy-five adults aged 18-40 were randomised to one of three interventions: 10 weeks of tai chi classes (twice per week), 10 weeks of tai chi with a DVD or a control group who received a handout on anxiety management. Eighty-five per cent of participants were retained during the intervention and 70 per cent completed the two month follow-up assessments. To increase statistical power, the two tai chi groups were combined in the analyses of anxiety and sleep quality measures. No significant changes in anxiety were found in the control group, whereas levels of anxiety decreased significantly over time in the two tai chi groups. Sleep quality scores improved across time for all three groups, but tai chi participants who adhered to their practice reported the greatest improvement.
Effects of tai chi chuan on anxiety and sleep quality in young adults: lessons from a randomized controlled feasibility study. Nat Sci Sleep. 2016 Nov 14;8:305-314.

A group of American authors has created an evidence map of the effect of tai chi on various health outcomes, based on a systematic review of 107 systematic reviews. The map identified a number of areas with evidence of a potentially positive treatment effect on patient outcomes, indicated by statistically significant pooled treatment effects in systematic reviews, and based on a substantial number of research studies. These included hypertension, fall prevention, cognitive performance, osteoarthritis, depression, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, pain, balance and muscle strength.
An evidence map of the effect of Tai Chi on health outcomes. Syst Rev. 2016 Jul 27;5(1):126.

A research team from the American National Institutes of Health has concluded that tai chi produces beneficial effects similar to those of a standard course of physical therapy for knee osteoarthritis. The team randomly assigned 204 participants with symptomatic knee osteoarthritis to tai chi training (two one-hour sessions each week for 12 weeks) or standard one-on-one physical therapy (two 30-minute sessions per week for six weeks, followed by six weeks of home-based exercises). Both groups were then encouraged to continue their tai chi practice or home exercise for a total of 52 weeks. Patients in both groups reported a decrease in pain levels at 12 weeks. The amount of change in pain between baseline and 12 weeks did not differ between the groups. Patients in both groups showed a similar improvement in physical functioning. Those in the tai chi group showed more improvement in their depression symptoms and quality of life than those in the physical therapy group.

Tai chi has additional psychological benefits for patients with heart failure (HF) compared with a heart health education programme. American investigators randomised 100 patients with chronic systolic HF to a 12-week group tai chi program or an education control. At 12 weeks, semi-structured interviews were conducted on a random subset of participants. Positive themes emerged from both groups, however those in the tai chi group reported not only self-efficacy and social support, but overall empowerment, with additional gains such as internal locus of control, self-awareness and stress management.
The Impact of Tai Chi Exercise on Self-Efficacy, Social Support, and Empowerment in Heart Failure: Insights from a Qualitative Sub-Study from a Randomized Controlled Trial. PLoS One. 2016 May 13;11(5):e0154678.

Tai chi should be considered as a viable therapy for chronic pain conditions, according to an international team of authors. Data from 18 randomised controlled trials (1260 individuals) were included in their systematic review. The aggregated results indicated that practising tai chi led to immediate relief of chronic pain from osteoarthritis, low back pain and osteoporosis. Their results also indicated that a minimum duration of tai chi practice for chronic pain relief should be six weeks, with longer duration achieving better gains. (Tai Chi for Chronic Pain Conditions: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials. Sci Rep. 2016 Apr 29;6:25325).